How Should You Serve Your Wine?

When you have been saving that one particular bottle of wine for a special occasion, the last thing you want is to have the moment spoiled by unknowingly serving the wine incorrectly. After all, you have gone to all the effort of ensuring the bottle is kept in top condition in your wine rack, so why let the experience be ruined at the last hurdle? Wine should be savoured and appreciated, so make sure that you are serving your wine correctly and let the delicate intricacies of the individual taste take hold in order to maximise enjoyment.

There are plenty of guidelines out there for serving wine, but the problem is that many wines, vintage bottles especially, are particularly complex and therefore require unique methods of serving. We have put together a rough guide to the best ways to serve wines, but you should always make sure to take note of any specific guidelines on the individual bottle in order to ensure that your wine tastes as good as possible.

Temperature

Serving wine at particular temperatures affects the taste of the wine, which is why different varieties should be served at different temperatures. The temperature will impact the way that the wine both smells and tastes, so it is important to get it right so the wine can reach its full potential.

Although each individual wine will be different, as a general rule, red wine should be served cool, rather than the common misconception of room temperature. Light and medium bodied reds should be served at 12-18 degrees Celsius, whereas full bodied reds are best served barely below room temperature at around 18-20 degrees Celsius. Whites and rosés should be served cold – 12-15 degrees Celsius for rosé, 10-14 degrees for full-bodied whites, and 7-10 degrees for light or dry white wines. Lastly, sparkling wines are at their best served ice cold; 5-10 degrees Celsius is the optimum temperature range.

Wine Glasses

Now that your wine is at the right temperature, you need to make sure that you have the best glass for the occasion. The glass may not seem particularly important, but it is actually an essential part of ensuring the experience is as good as possible. A good wine glass should give you a clear view of the wine and concentrate the aromas, allowing deeper scents to develop as the wine breathes while the lighter, fruitier scents will leap from the glass straight away.

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